Numerous West Bank Raids, Settler Attacks on Saturday

Israeli forces raided several homes in the occupied West Bank, on Saturday, while extremist settlers attacked Palestinian-owned cars and agricultural lands. Meanwhile, Israel media has revealed new plans regarding the construction of a new region of its apartheid wall, along Jordanian border.In the Safa area of Beit Ummar, at a dawn raid on Saturday, Israeli forces detained one Palestinian man and delivered notices to three others to meet with Israeli intelligence, according to Ma’an News Agency.

Spokesperson for a local popular committee in Beit Ummar, Muhammad Ayyad Awad, said the notices were delivered to 23-year-old Azmi Muhammad Azmi Ikhleil, who was released two months ago from an Israeli prison following three years in Israeli custody, as well as Majdi Adam Salem Ikhleil, 18, and Hassan Ali Hassan Adi, age 21.

Israeli forces routinely conduct night raids on towns and villages throughout the occupied West Bank. Haaretz recently reported that the Israeli army carries out an average of 75 raids a week on West Bank Palestinian neighborhoods and villages.

Beit Ummar, like many towns that endure night raids, is classified under the Oslo Accords as Area A, where the Palestinian Authority nominally has full civil and military authority.

This past Friday evening, six Palestinian citizens including four children were injured by live and rubber-coated metal bullets during the clashes with the Israeli forces in Silwad town, east of Ramallah.

According to the PNN, medical sources reported that the clashes left 5 injuries by live fire, including 3 children and 2 young men, while one child was injured by rubber-coated metal bullets. Sources said that the injured were moved to Palestine’s medical complex in Ramallah.

In addition, seven Palestinians were injured during the clashes between the Israeli forces near Al-Jalazon refugee camp, near Ramallah.

A medical source in the ambulance services in Al-Jalazon camp reported that one of the youngsters, Malik Gawanmeh, 17, was seriously injured after an explosive bullet caliber hit his right leg which, the medical workers say, will probably be amputated.

The sources also added that six Palestinian citizens were injured by rubber-coated metal bullets while others suffered from gas suffocation after the Israeli soldiers threw gaz bombs at them during the clashes.

A witness said that ‘more than 100 Israeli soldiers surrounded the camp and tried to subdue the demonstration’.

Meanwhile on Friday, a group of Israeli settlers attacked some Palestinian citizens vehicles and smashed its windows glass south of Jenin, while many Palestinian citizens suffered from gas suffocation during the clashes with the Israeli soldiers in Al-Aqra village, near the city.

Local and security sources reported that the settlers threw stones at Palestinian vehicles on the Jenin-Nablus road, near the illegal settlement of Homesh, under the protection of Israeli police.

WAFA Palestinian News & Info Agency has reported that, today, on Saturday, Israeli settlers additionally uprooted dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in Khlit al-Adra area in Hebron, as well as in al-Khader village, to the south of Bethlehem.

Rateb Jabour, of the Anti-Settlement Committee in Hebron, told WAFA that settlers from the Israeli settlement of Maon, built illegally on Palestinian land in Hebronâs Yatta town, uprooted around 70 olive trees belonging to the family of Shahin.

He said that settlers, with the protection of Israeli soldiers, tend to target Palestinians and their properties in the area for the benefit of expanding nearby illegal settlements.

Settlements are illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying powerâs civilian population into occupied territory.

Earlier Saturday, settlers, under Israeli soldiers protection, uprooted a number of olive saplings belonging to a Palestinian in al-Khader village, to the south of Bethlehem.

Coordinator of the Popular Committee against the Wall and Settlement, Ahmad Salah, told WAFA that, protected by Israeli forces, a group of settlers forced a Palestinian farmer to leave his farmland located the west of the town and adjacent to the illegal Israeli settlement outpost of âSidi Boazâ before proceeding to uproot a number of olive saplings.

The land belongs to Ahmad Sbeih, 48.

The activist stressed that Israeli settlers and forcesâ have recently escalated their attacks against the village residents in an aim to force them to leave their land, as a prelude to take over it for the benefit of settlement expansion.

Israeli settlers, on Saturday, also uprooted dozens of Palestinian-owned olive trees in the Khlit al-Adra area of Hebron, according to a local activist.

Rateb Jabour, of the Anti-Settlement Committee in Hebron, told WAFA that settlers from the illegal Maon settlement, built on Palestinian land in Hebronâs Yatta town, uprooted around 70 olive trees belonging to the family of Shahin.

He said that the settlers, with the protection of Israeli soldiers, tend to target Palestinians and their properties in the area for the benefit of expanding nearby illegal settlements.

Settlements are illegal under international law as they violate Article 49 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the transfer of the occupying powerâs civilian population into occupied territory.

Israeli forces often target Palestinians and their property or provide protection to settlers conducting attacks on Palestinian residents’ land; including the burning and uprooting of trees.

According to a United Nations’ OCHA report, ‘Israeli settlers damaged over 5,500 Palestinian-owned olive trees and saplings in the period between December 30 2014, and January 12, 2015.â

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In related news, PNN further reports that, following the completion of a security fence on the border with Egypt, Israel plans to build a new separation wall on the border with Jordan to protect the state from a possible infiltration by ‘global Jihadists’, Israeli media reported on Thursday.

The Israeli government said that the first section of the wall will stretch for 30 km and will be equipped with security cameras and watch towers. The wall is part of a broader defence plan to secure the Timna region, prepared by the Israeli army in the wake of the geo-strategic changes in the region. Israeli security forces allegedly fear the Iraqi and Syrian jihadists who were reported to have entered Jordan in huge numbers, and it is possible that they’ll find their way to Israel.

A senior Israeli officer said they do not have intelligence about the activities of ISIS elements in Jordan.

The wall has been approved by the southern front commander in the Israeli army following the government’s decision to build an airport in Timna, in order to replace those in Eilat and Ovda.

Nur ArafehÂ ,Â November 30, 2016 Al Shakaba Palestinian Policy Network In an unusual move, and after years of neglect, American and European delegations and development agencies have recently been visiting East […]